Howards End
Sunday 26 November, 9.00pm BBC1 Drama
Evie’s (Bessie Carter) wedding preoccupies the Wilcoxes, but Henry (Matthew Macfadyen) has a stunning proposal of his own for Margaret (Hayley Atwell). However, a shadow is cast over both romances when Helen (Philippa Coulthard) makes a shocking decision…
Caring Margaret Schlegel gets a surprise in this week’s episode of BBC1 period drama Howards End when widowed businessman Henry Wilcox (Matthew Macfadyen) proposes to her.
Margaret doesn’t accept straight away but, to the horror of both their families, she eventually agrees to become his wife.
‘Her sister, Helen, doesn’t like the Wilcoxes and is concerned about Margaret,’ says Hayley Atwell, who plays her. ‘But even Margaret doesn’t understand her relationship with Henry herself because they have different values and that unsettles her as she is warm and compassionate while he’s emotionally constipated. Ultimately, though, she knows his intentions are good.’
Face from the past
A shadow is cast over the wedding preparations, however, when Margaret and Helen’s working-class protégé Leonard Bast (Joseph Quinn) gets back in contact with them. The one-time clerk is now unemployed and nearly destitute after he followed some unfortunate job advice that the sisters gave him, based on a tip by Henry.
But when a guilt-ridden Helen (played by Philippa Coulthard) desperately tries to help Leonard, there are far-reaching consequences for everyone following a shocking revelation.
‘Leonard is teetering on the abyss,’ says Hayley. ‘Helen is idealistic but Margaret just wants to connect everyone together so that things become classless, but there is tension between them all.’